The other day, I stumbled upon this article by Kenneth Bowser. He makes a very strong case for the Sidereal Zodiac, so based on that I went on to check my Sidereal chart out, to see what I could learn. In my Sidereal chart (Fagan/Bradley), I went from having my Sun in Capricorn (suffering with total Zodiac sign dysphoria!) to having my Sun in Sagittarius and that wasn’t all that changed, with all signs moving back 24 degrees…
The Devil vs Temperance
But let’s just pause for a minute and contemplate what it means to move from Sun (personality) in Capricorn (The Devil) to Sun in Sagittarius (Temperance). Imagine having The Devil projected on your persona by anyone who knows anything about metaphysics, Tarot and astrology… to being able to cast that Devil aside and instead put on the dress of the Angel of Temperance! Do I feel like a winner for stumbling on Sidereal Astrology? Damn straight I do!
Perhaps the biggest win isn’t swapping Sun signs though. Perhaps it is that it got me questioning my projections and use of labels.
Right or Wrong
Please note that I’m not now considering Sidereal Astrology to be ‘right’ and Tropical Astrology to be ‘wrong.’ Nor do I believe there to be only one way to read a chart. Heck, I haven’t even made my mind up about which house system to go with for Sidereal Astrology. And who knows, maybe there is even some truth to the claim of Ophicus being the 13th sign. All I know is that what I do know is pretty much nothing compared to what I don’t know…
What I do know is that this new Sidereal point of view has broadened my horizons and made me see more possibilities for myself. In doing so, it also made me see how much I was in fact limiting myself because of my efforts to know myself through a system that slapped me with labels I only barely tolerated. OK, full disclosure: I hated being a Capricorn. Forcing that label on myself created real and lasting Zodiac sign dysphoria.
Who Are You?
Of course, I still have Capricorn in my chart… but I don’t mind having it as my MC so much – It’s infinitely useful there… It’s just not who I am. So who am I? Who are you? And how can we truly know ourselves? While I think that systems like Astrology and Numerology do have their uses, I’m also inherently resistant to labels…
Just as I prefer to be on a nameless spiritual Path, I prefer to not label my Self other than with my name and ‘I am.’ That said, I believe the one way we can safely learn about ourselves is to follow our bliss and do more of what we love.
[bctt tweet=”It’s in doing the things we are passionate about that the Path and the Self are revealed/unveiled.” username=”LisaFrideborg”]Tarot vs Astrology
What I love about the Tarot is that nothing is fixed; We get to be The Fool (limitless spirit incarnate) and play with all these different archetypes along the way. In the Tarot, the archetypes act as signposts rather than labels. Although, in recent times, Tarotists have started using the same labels as Astrologers and Numerologists by assigning birth cards to people. In the past, Tarot readers used signifiers but those were used on the basis of physical characteristics rather than personality traits or life paths.
The truth is that, just as we have all 78 Keys of the Tarot around us at all times, we have all Planets, Numbers and Zodiac signs around us as well. The future is not fixed and while our spirit is indeed eternal, our soul continues to grow and evolve. Perhaps we are better off without any labels? This is not a rhetorical question, by the way. I’m not certain of the answer at all. I can see labels being useful too – especially if we do not use them to judge but to categorise in a neutral way.
Combining Sidereal and Tropical Astrology
Moving forward, I’m seriously considering combining the Tropical and Sidereal charts as per the video below. Looking at the Tropical chart as the influence of the ancestors makes sense to me. I can see how my Sun is supported by Capricorn energy… while doing what I truly love takes me much more into the realm of Sagittarius – It always did.
My Saggie Self
As a child, I always went off on adventures on my own, both in the real world and in my mind. I was an intrepid traveller who didn’t hesitate to go on a long hike (on my own!) to the nearest lake when I was six or hop on a train (also on my own!) to visit the city when I was 10. As soon as I could, I left home and studied abroad at age 16. I now live abroad and am not married to someone from my native country or culture. How very Saggie, right!?
This is a screenshot of my Sidereal natal chart from astro.com:
The things that Capricorns are supposed to care about (other than my work actually being useful) never tickled my fancy. Money? Meh. Status? lol!!! So there you have it… I’m going to play with this Saggie label for a while longer because it’s fun and seems a good fit… but I’m fully aware that it goes when my meat suit comes off.
It is infinitely more important for me to stay connected with the One in prayer and meditation, and in that nothing has changed between Tropical and Sidereal – My Moon remains firmly in Pisces. Apparently, I’m also still Gemini Rising, though I was on the cups to Cancer before…
Which Zodiac system do you work with? Have you explored more than one system? What works for you? Tell all in the comments below!
Love,
Lisa Frideborg
Comments 5
I’m a Cancerian, one of the least popular signs of the zodiac. We are tagged with the same name as a disease, the astrology of a smothering parent, the tag ‘overly emotional’ and a tarot card that really doesn’t resonate with the sign, or the astrology of that sign, so I hear you!
Sidereal changes my entire chart as well, and as cool as a Gemini Sun/Sag Moon/Cap Rising can be, it’s just never really resonated with me – apart from the love of learning, but that is also explained by aspects. Not getting into the ‘what’s right or wrong’ debate, good grief, those academic kerfuffles will never stop, I’ve just never felt the pull of sidereal and have found that the Hellenistic astrology is the fit for me, so I just stick with that traditional ol’ chestnut.
There is another exploration of the astrological self that you will probably love, although, perhaps not as much as a stunning new Sagittarius Sun, and that’s the Draconic chart, or the ‘soul’ chart. It’s cast by placing the North Node on the 0′ Aries Point. Here is a great article by Kim Falconer on it http://www.falconastrology.com/draconic.html, but there’s a stack of info on the interwebs if you ever feel like a dabble.
Author
Thanks for sharing, Lilac. I don’t think there is a right or wrong when it comes to this topic at all and fully support people to choose what they resonate with… so go you! I did cast a Draconic chart too out of curiousity… but that was a big nope for me, intuitively 🙂
Yeah? That’s a shame, never mind 🙂 I don’t mind the draconic chart for myself as my tropical Sun is pretty much unaspected, and the draconic shifts my Leo Venus and Jupiter into Cancer, which really resonates for me regarding my passion and devotion to motherhood. But it’s not something that I have studied in depth, nor worked with on any professional level, just thought it was cool 🙂
Anyhoo, I still don’t escape a 12th house Moon with any of these systems and mine is even in Saggi using tropical if you consider declinations, as it is out of orb. Oh well, doomed with mental health/addiction issues for life lol
I think because I am born so close to the equinox, every vernal shift is such a strong influence on my actual life in terms of upheaval and stress, as it seems to be for every other solstice baby I have met and I have met many surprisingly, so perhaps that’s why the tropical system just works best for me. When I am working a horary chart, I do take precession into consideration because I also work with fixed stars, so it’s all relevant really, on a working level. No idea why they get all flustered and knicker tied, it’s not a big deal 🙂
Lisa –
What a PERFECT topic to bring to the discussion table! I’ve recently started diving into my own sidereal Vedic natal chart, and I was as surprised as you were when I found my sidereal Ascendant, Sun + Moon signs. I’m right with you regarding the idea that Tropical and Sidereal exist on an equal level playing field, in my mind. One system paints the other as another layer to peel back.
For my own discovery, I found:
*My Tropical Taurus Sun is a Sidereal Aries Sun (bold + ready to conquer any challenge; very accurate, as I’ve always felt like a cardinal energy leader who likes to get right to the point). The lower vibration of that energy helps me understand why I have such high expectations of myself + why I channel my energy through the exercise of the physical body.
*My Tropical Capricorn Moon (yes, I feel you on the Capricorn dysphoria!) is a Sidereal Sagittarius Moon (far-seeing + always expanding). My Capricorn Moon never felt accurate because I’m incredibly emotive, so I wear my heart/emotions on my sleeve (and my Moon is in my 3rd house of communication/thought). My Sidereal Sagittarius Moon accurately describes how I love having the freedom to truly be myself and immerse myself in spiritual practices + ancient wisdom.
*My Tropical Scorpio Ascendant (I strongly identify with Scorpionic energy; Mars is in my 8th house lol) is a Sidereal Libra Ascendant (still, with my Tropical South Node/Sidereal Ketu in the 1st house + Tropical North Node/Rahu conjunct my Sun in the 7th house). The Death Card to the Justice Card. Absolutely! While I’m severely intense with my Plutonic energy (Pluto is also on my ascendant), my Sidereal Libra still plays it a little safe and relies on other people to confirm or assure my decisions. A totally different person than my Sidereal Aries Sun conjunct Ketu (North Node), who just goes for it.
I found, above all, that my North Node/South Node (Rahu/Ketu) axis in the 1st/7th house reflected the same soul path balance I’m trying to achieve. Disciplining my energy by learning patience, giving + thinking more to the “other” while still learning how to establish healthy boundaries. Knowing when to + when not, to cross them.
I’m excited to hear what other people learn about the energies they have at their hands when comparing their Tropical Natal Chart to their Sidereal Natal Chart. THANK YOU for sharing your story. I think it’s so cool that we started getting into this around the same time. Must be our shared Sidereal Sagittarius energy hehe.
Thanks, Lisa!
Namaste,
Adam xo
Author
Oh wow, Adam, this is so cool! It’s awesome to know there are others out there exploring this… It’s like a portal to the future of Western Astrology, I feel. Did you watch the video I shared too? It’s sooooo interesting – A Kemetic perspective! I’m not drawn as much to exploring Vedic Astrology as I am toward Western Sidereal Astrology. It’s a little bit like starting over but I don’t mind. I hope to share more on this once I get a firmer grip on Sidereal Astrology. I know Houses are of less importance in Western Sidereal Astrology – The emphasis is more on angles. And yay… Saggie Moon!!! 🙂
Namaste
Lisa xo